


Querencia

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M, OFC - Freeform, Original Female Character - Freeform, Student/Teacher, except remus just started teaching at hogwarts, it's based around order of the phoenix, remus lupin - Freeform, she's in her seventh year
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-13
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-12-01 19:35:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11493282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: querencia(n.) a place from which one's strength is drawn, where one feels at home; the place where you are your most authentic self.





	Querencia

**Author's Note:**

> this story takes place during the order of the phoenix era. the oc is in her 7th year at hogwarts, while harry and the rest of the gang are in their 5th. although the oc is not friends with harry, ron or hermione, she is obviously romantically involved with remus and therefore knows a bit about what's going on with the order. she is familiar with the war effort, but not directly involved. the war with voldemort is more of a background plot to this fic — with the main focus being on the oc and remus. i hope that makes sense. 
> 
> some things are cannon to order of the phoenix — ex: sirius does die. other things, however, have been changed or taken out entirely. ex: sirius dies a bit earlier in the year, and tonks does not exist.
> 
> (this is the first fic i've written in a long, long time, so i hope i can do it justice. thank you for reading!)

Throughout my seven years at Hogwarts, I'd gotten into plenty of trouble. Nothing too serious — just little pranks that made me famous amongst my classmates, but landed me in detention for a week or so. I was not unfamiliar with Professor Snape's office. All too often I'd find myself there, listening to his lectures while I awaited my newest punishment. However, I'd never gotten myself into trouble _this_ early before. The Sorting hadn't even started before I'd found myself once again in Snape's cold dungeon, sitting on one of his cold stools, trying to match his even colder stare.

“Miss Williams, this is your seventh year at Hogwarts. Seven years is a very long time. So long, I think, that you should be familiar with the rules by now. Don’t you agree?” Professor Snape murmured, his voice cruel and low as he stared at me from behind his desk. I stared back at him without answering. After a moment, the vein on his forehead started to throb. "That was not a rhetorical question."

"I'm sorry, sir," I replied, my response carefully calculated and dripping with sarcasm. I was the only one who ever dared to challenge Professor Snape, and I got a lot of respect for it from my peers. "Of course. I know the rules."

"Then why, may I ask, did you think it acceptable to let off _fireworks_ on the train?

"Well, you see, sir... I was quite bored."

Professor Snape blinked. I could see his jaw tightening, like he wanted to say something to me but knew better. His black, greasy hair framed his face and hung down in front of his eyes. "You were ' _quite bored'_?" He repeated, giving me the stare that made first years shiver.

"Yes, sir. Those train rides can get pretty repetitive, don't you think? Year after year, the same old junk? Everyone wanted a show. It _is_ my seventh year, you know. Wouldn't it be a shame to go out without a... bang?" I raised my eyebrow at him, holding back my laughter at his anger. I knew Professor Snape posed no real threat to me. The worst he would do was assign me an extra essay or a couple of detentions. 

"I am well aware that it is your seventh year, Ms. Williams, and thank Merlin for it. I am sick and tired of your attitude. Had it not been for the fact that you are in my House, and _I_ hold some respect for the Slytherin name — unlike _you_ — I would have had you expelled years ago."

"Professor McGonagall would never let that happen, sir. I think we both know that."

Snape's gaze went from cold to freezing. I wanted to look away, but refused to let him think he won. "Very well. You will serve 4 detentions for your firework shenanigans, and 2 for your attitude tonight. Is that understood?"

I nodded minutely. It wasn't the worst punishment I'd ever received.

"You have caused us to miss the Sorting. Please return to the Great Hall and do not make any detours on the way. If you do, I shall know. You should make it back in time for the feast — or, at least, in time to tell your... _admirers_... about your most recent disappointment of a 'prank'. Go."

I got up from the stool I'd been sitting on and walked out of Snape's office. I felt better as soon as I was away from the dungeons and didn't have to shiver with cold. As I walked back to the Great Hall, I got a bit lost in my thoughts about the previous encounter. Every run in I'd had with Snape had been an unpleasant one, but that one seemed to have topped the charts, and I couldn't quite put my finger on _why_. I had seen him ten times angrier than that. I had gotten punishments twenty times worse. Most of the time after Snape's lectures, I felt nothing more than a bit annoyed. This time, however, I felt... _mad,_ almost _._ And not with Snape, but with myself. It was like he had said something that really rubbed me the wrong way — something that I knew to be true but just couldn't admit to myself. I stopped trying to search for the cause of my uneasiness, and instead let my mind wander to other less-than-joyful experiences I'd had with the professor.

Snape was notorious for showing favoritism towards the Slytherins. I'm living proof that that was not the case. I couldn't pinpoint one moment in the last seven years that Snape had showed me any sort of kindness. The head of your House was supposed to be a mentor for you, but Snape was an enemy. I regarded Professor McGonagall with twenty times more respect than I did Snape — which was why I was grateful that Snape, as Head of my House, always had to be the one to punish me. I wasn't sure I could handle seeing the disappointment in Professor McGonagall's eyes.

My relationship with Snape reflected my relationship with the rest of my House. I wouldn't say any of the Slytherins "disliked" me. They appreciated and laughed at my pranks just as much as the rest of the students at Hogwarts. However, most of the time, I felt like I just didn't _fit_ _in_ with them. I assume I ended up in Slytherin in my first year because I had more Slytherin qualities than any other House. However, I felt as if I truly belonged in Gryffindor. I enveyed most of them. They all seemed like a big, happy family... and in Slytherin, I just felt lost.

I didn't have much time to think about all of this before I was back at the entrance to the Great Hall. Snape was right — the Sorting was over. As I walked in, I saw some new faces at the Slytherin table, and I smiled at them. Around the Hall, a few people nodded in my direction. Some grinned or giggled. I knew that everyone had probably been talking about my firework antics. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fred and George Weasley smirk and nod at me. I smiled back at them.

I sat down at the Slytherin table, answering all of the questions I was automatically bombarded with. People who weren't there to see the day's earlier adventure in real life always wanted to hear the story told by me, even if a hundred bystanders had already recited it to them. Everyone who _was_ there always wanted to know what kind of punishment I'd gotten stuck with this time around. I talked to everyone for awhile, and eventually they were satisfied with the tale and my answers, and left me alone to eat.

I started to dig into my steak when I heard Draco Malfoy, a table away, start to brag about something. I tried to tune him out, until I heard something interesting.

"—so Father got me a new racing broom, and said something about a new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher? I dunno, I think Snape should have gotten the job, personally, but, oh- There he is now! ...Wow, quite shabby, isn't he? Maybe he _does_ need the job..."

I looked up. A new teacher was walking up to the others at the High Table. Professor McGonagall smiled at him. The first thing I noticed about him were his robes — they wore torn in some places, and looked very worn out. Draco was obviously referring to the fact that it looked as if the man didn't have much money. I scowled at Draco, and then went back to my steak, drowning out the laughter of the other Slytherins at the new teacher's clothes. I saw the Gryffindors all chatting and laughing at their table. I knew, however, that their source of humor was probably much more innocent than ours.

I thought about, for the second time that night, how I wished I'd been sorted into a different House on this same night exactly 7 years ago.


End file.
